PLANK CHALLENGE
Everyone wants the secret to awesome abs and I am happy to share it, it’s ‘not doing sit ups’. Yup. That’s it, secret’s out. Ditch sit ups and replace with planks and I have a plan for you to build up your core strength one day at a time. This is for beginners and Mumma’s wanting their body back, this is a great place to start. If you are not a beginner you can still chuck this on the end of your daily workout as you too can benefit from this by focusing on your form.
HOW TO PLANK
#1 Push the balls of your feet into the floor to activate your legs
#2 Squeeze your butt
#3 Brace your core, feel it contracting 360 around your body
#4 Don’t hold the tension in your neck just gaze down in front of you
#5 Shoulders should sit naturally over elbows
See all that, legs, butt, shoulders, 360 core so much more than a sit up. It is using lots of your body so it will be difficult at first and you will get the shakes, this means it’s working. How to plank for longer and get stronger at the same time, by doing a little each day. 20 seconds sounds like nothing but it will work you especially if you are new to this. We will start at 20 seconds today and you can see how we work our way up to 2 minutes using my guide below.
I want you to save this plank challenge as your desktop background so it’s the first thing you see when you sit on your butt to look at Facebook etc. I want it to be in your face reminding you to do it. It starts off realisably easy as I am being very realistic here, we are starting from the beginning and we will work up to a 2 minute plank by the end of November. I will give you the tools you just have to do the work, so get down on the floor and plank for 20 seconds already.
Now you’re wondering who am I to tell you how to get your belly back? I have had three c-sections for huge babies as in 10lbs2oz the last one 3 years ago. I am sharing what worked for me. Make sure you have been cleared by your Doctor before start any kind of exercise program.
Renee
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hi thanks for your plank workouts but i wasnt sure if i can do them pregnant? thankyou 🙂
Hey Carolyn, great question. The answer is with your doctors clearance you sure can. In fact it is a really great idea to workout while pregnant there are so many health benefits for you and bubs.
If it is a normal pregnancy you can workout for the entire time, I did with my now 3 year old and I stayed very fit for the whole pregnancy. Search ‘pregnancy’ and there is a past post about it.
Congrats on the pregnancy, stay healthy and fit. R
Hi Renee….its so great reading ur updates and given me hope to lose weight. I am not over weight but have a flabby tummy and nasty love handles. I am a mother of one who is 5…..I’m gona try the plank. what do I do for the love handles. I also gym and use the step and treadmill…..any advice on the gym equipment. ….
Hi Drisha, You sure can get your body back if you do two things, clean up your diet and workout most days. Definitely follow along with the plank challenge and after 25 days you will have a stronger core. For the tummy and ‘love handles’ burn some fat doing some hard and fast cardio on the rowing machine or cross trainer. Go as hard and as fast as you can for 40 seconds then have 20 seconds rest, do this for 12 minutes. Working at a higher intensity for a shorter time will burn more fat than working at a lower intensity for longer time. So train smart not hard, you can work hard and have it done in 12 minutes. There are a few other FREE workouts on my blog you could try too. One more thing, abs are made in the kitchen, you can do what you like in the gym but if you arent backing it up with clean eating you just wont get the results you deserve. R